Contents

1) Opening the CPU Socket We mention this all the time, because it's good advice: When you're building a computer it's best to do as much preparation as you can outside the case, so you can maximize the amount of room you have to work. (This is especially important when you're working with a case that's on the smaller side, as is the case with the Raptor.) That's what I did in the FMN build, and it proved to be even more important usual—as you'll soon see. The first step was, as always, opening the processor socket. First I had to remove the black plastic protective shield from the socket, which was just a matter of pulling it off, then I had to open the socket itself. LGA2011 sockets are a bit different than most others, as they are held down by two restraint bars rather than just one, and they need to be released in a particular order. Following the diagram printed on the socket cover, I pulled out the first bar (shown here) and lifted it up and back, then repeated with the second. I could then lift off the cover. While we're here, note the black triangle printed on the rightmost corner of the socket cover. This is important for the next step.

2) Installing the CPU Installing the Intel Core i7-3930K CPU involved nothing more than lining up the golden triangle on one corner of the chip with the corresponding mark on the socket cover (the mark I pointed out to you in the last photo). I gripped opposite sides of the processor and gently lowered it into position, taking care not to bend any of the pins in the socket as I did so. (Notches cut into the chip will also helped with proper alignment.) I then checked that the CPU was level on all sides before moving on.

3) Closing the CPU Socket Closing the socket is, not so surprisingly, the reverse of the process of opening it. You push down and lock the restraining bars in the opposite order. (You can tell which you need to do first by looking at the symbol on the socket cover, which is visible to the left of my finger in this photo.) After I did this with both sides, the processor was ready to go.

4) Installing the CPU Cooler Retention Bracket We're grateful to Thermaltake for providing the Frio cooler we used in this build, but it's on the big side and because it's designed to work with every socket on the market, we had to configure it for use with our LGA2011 motherboard. Luckily, it wasn't too hard. I started by screwing onto the heat sink unit the two brackets with the pressure-sensitive screws used to secure the cooler to the motherboard. There was one for each side of the cooler, as you can see here.

Matthew Murray got his humble start leading a technology-sensitive life in elementary school, where he struggled to satisfy his ravenous hunger for computers, computer games, and writing book reports in Integer BASIC. He earned his B.A. in Dramatic Writing at Western Washington University, where he also minored in Web design and German. He has been building computers for himself and others for more than 20 years, and he spent several years working in IT and helpdesk capacities before escaping into the far more exciting world...
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